Karachi: Police have detained three people in connection with the alleged assault of Professor Arif Khan Saqi, head of the Department of Islamic Studies at the University of Karachi. Police said further suspects are being searched for.
According to police, the senior professor was travelling to the University of Karachi in an online taxi. When the vehicle stopped near Safoora Chowrangi, a double-cabin vehicle allegedly hit it while reversing. Following the collision, an argument reportedly broke out between the occupants of the two vehicles.
Police said the double-cabin was occupied by the son of a local hotel owner and his gunmen. They allegedly assaulted Professor Saqi, struck him on the head with the butt of a pistol, pushed him and dragged him into a restaurant, where he was allegedly beaten again.
Professor Saqi said he had intervened after the online taxi was hit and asked the occupants of the double-cabin to compensate the driver, whom he described as a poor worker. He alleged that, instead of responding to his request, the hotel owner’s son attacked him with a pistol butt and also opened fire into the air.
The professor further alleged that armed men assaulted both him and his nephew and took his nephew’s vehicle with them. According to the First Information Report (FIR), police arrived at the scene and recovered the professor and his nephew, while the suspects fled.
FIR Registered
A case has been registered at Sachal Police Station on the complaint of Professor Arif Khan Saqi. The FIR names Konain Ali Gohar Shah and other suspects.
The case includes charges relating to attempted murder, assault, causing injuries and wrongful confinement. The complainant alleged that two armed guards assaulted him and his nephew, took them to the hotel after the incident and confined and assaulted them there.
The FIR also states that the suspects allegedly resorted to aerial firing and took the nephew’s vehicle away before police intervened.
Police said three people taken into custody are employees of the hotel and that efforts are underway to locate other individuals allegedly involved in the incident.
Teachers Demand Action
The University of Karachi Teachers’ Association condemned the alleged assault on Professor Saqi and called on senior authorities to take immediate notice of the incident.
The association demanded that those responsible be investigated and punished in accordance with the law, stressing that teachers and citizens should be able to raise their voices for vulnerable people without fear of violence or intimidation.
Police have begun investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the alleged assault, aerial firing and confinement. The allegations against the suspects remain subject to investigation and due legal process.
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